Fight to save Bradford pub from closure

The George and Dragon on Great Horton Road, Bradford, is set to close on January 27 when its landlord and landlady, Gerry and June Swinbank retire.

Enterprise, which owns the property, has put the Grade II listed building on the market for offers in the region of £185,000.

But Bradford South MP Gerry Sutcliffe hopes the historic pub, which is in a conservation area, can be saved.

Mr Sutcliffe said he hoped that Enterprise could find a new manager for the pub.

He said: “It is part of the heritage of British pubs. There have been a number of closures in that area and it will be sad to see it go.

“There are 11 pubs a week closing across the country. We want people to have safe drinking environments. They are where communities come together.”

Mr Swinbank, who has been at the pub for 26 years, said that all four of his staff, who work part-time are loosing their jobs.

Mr Swinbank, 61, said: “I am very, very disappointed. I do not see any reason behind it. It is doing all right. If you got someone in with new ideas the pub could improve, I am sure it would. The pub is making money. It is a really local pub. If I had known they were going to close it I would have stayed on. We have come to the end of a 20-year lease. I could have extended that lease.”

Regular Brian Lawrence, 69, of Great Horton, said: “It is a typical pub; it has a quiz league, a games night. It is a traditional English pub. It is not like it is struggling. It is architecturally significant. It has always been a pub, it was a hostelry attached to a coach barn. I have a list of landlords’ names since 1853.”

The retired civil servant contacted Mr Sutcliffe, who recently referred to the pub in a House of Commons’ debate, in a bid to save it.

A spokesman for Enterprise said: “We have worked extremely hard to generate interest in the George and Dragon but we have been unable to find the right publican who can share our vision and take the site forward as a pub business. After careful consideration and a review of all options the decision has been made to offer the freehold for sale on the open market through Westlakes of Skipton inviting offers in the region of £185,000 with no restrictions on future use. Enterprise would like to congratulate Gerry and June on running a great community pub over the years and we wish them a very happy retirement.”